Improvement in magazine fire-arms



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. LEE.' Magazine Fire-Arm.

Patented Nov. 4, 1879.

Nonms PETERS cov, summum 2 'Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. LEE. Magazine Fire-Arm.

y No. 221,328.l Patent-ed Nov.` 4; 1879.

UNITED STATES .PATENT .O'EEIGE.

JAMES taria,v or ILtoN, .NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT I'N MAGAZINE FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221,328, dated4November 4, 1879; applica-tion tiled September 6, 1878.

To all 'whom it maycoacem: Y Be it known that 1, JAMES LEE, of'-Ilion,i| the'county ot" Herkimer and State of New Yprln'haveinventedcertain Improvements in- Magazine FireArms, ofv which 'thefollowing is a specification. Y

My invention relates to that xclassor guns known as bolt-guns;7 and. the'inx-'entionoonsistsl in constructing-the gun so that it ca nbe used inthe ordinary' manner asa single-loader, and can have a detachablemagazine applied to it, and be'used as av magazine-gun.

' .It furtherconsists in a novel construction ofthe magazine or case,all as hereinafter morev fully -set forth.

4Figure 1 is a side'clevati'on of the breech portion of a gun'constructed on my plan. with the :magazine attached, a portion beingshownA in section. Fi g. 2 is a. tol'rpl'an View, and Fig.

3 a side elevation, ot' the magazine detached.'

Fig. tis a 4,view .similar to Fig. 1,showingthe magazine modified inconstruction. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section on the line x ot'Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is `a transverse section,-

9 is a side eleiation ot the tiring-pin with its spring and collar shown`cletacl1edfrom the bolt.`

1n the drawings, A represents the barrel;

l B, the receiver or shoe; and C, the sliding breech-bolt of the arm,which, except ashereinat'terstatem is made like an ordinaryboltgun.v.lhe bolt C may be made in the ordinary Way; but the extractor, insteadof being a spring-hook, is made rigid and of the form shown in Figs. 7and 8. Its rear portion is made to iit the exteriorsurfac'e of the bolt,on which it turns loosely, it being held-to the bolt C by having itsrear portion tted in a slot out inthe-under surface of the vrib on thebo1t,`as shown in Fig. 7, there being a shoulder, s, on the rear end ofthe extractor, which engages' in a corresponding notch, "and by which itis drawn back with the bolt.

In a recess in the top of the rib I fit a spring,

t,.as shown in Fig. 7 the'front end having a shoulder that bearsonj theextractor to hold it do ivm-and yetlets ityield4 to passover the dan gef of. theshell when the breech is'closed. This arrangement permitstheex-tractor to 'remain stationary while the bolt is turnedto lock orunlock it. Itl is readily inserted or removed by' simply drawing thebolt part-way back,

then swinging the point over to the left as far as; possible it caribeslid si'dewise out of the recess' in the rib, yet will not' d'rop out ofits own accord.

The bolt C is made tubular from its rear end to near the front, andthrough the front end is a small central hole ot' proper size for thepoint Vot' the tiring-pin to pass through. At its rear end the bolt Cl.has a longitudinal slot, z, cut in one side, withan offset, as shownin Fig. 1, the front edge of the shoulder formed lby this osetbeingbeveled backward, as therel shown. Y

The ringpin P, as shown in Fig. 9, iso-a straight bolt of a properlength torcach through the breech-bolt C from end to -end, its-rearvprojecting end being provided with aknob, l 'H,gby which it can be drawnback to the half or the full cock position while the breech-bolt,remains closed. Nearits front end this tiring-1. 'pin P is providedwith acollarorshoulder-,9,

against which the front end of the spiral spriii g w' hears, the rearendof said spring bearingl againsta sleeve or collar, R, placed looselyon the lpim-as shown in Fig. 9. 0n one side of'.

this sleeve w is a small lug or projection, pgof such asize asto passreadily into thejslot a in the bolt C, and which, by being turned intothe oi'sct of said slot, will engage against its beveled ordovetailedfacc, as shown inFig.y 1, thereby lookin g the tiring-pin withits spring securely within the boltC, and yet permitting the iring-pinto be removed at any time by merely disengaging the 'projection pcf thesleeve R from the offset in the side of the bolt"A holds the pin cockedready for firing. ThereV is also a half-cock notch in this piece V, asindicated in dotted lines, Fig. 9. This method of construction is simpleand cheap, and while pin to be removed at any time and replaced withoutthe use of any tool.

I'cut a slot through the bottom of the receiver o t' such a size as topermit a cartridge to pass through it sidewise, as shown in Fig.V4

1, the receiver also having a portion, h, extended backward on the topin rear of the barrel, asshowu in Figs. 1 and 4, to prevent thecartridges from being thrown out at the top as they are forced upfromAbelow, this partJll being cut away at the right-.hand side, as shown atL, Fig. 1, to give room 4for a shell or cartridge to be thrownout whenwithdrawn from the barrel.

A recess is cut on the inner face of the chamber of the receiver, intowhich is fitted a vcurved sliding plate, I, as shown-in Figs. 1,4,

and 5, this plate being capable of being slid or pushed around in itsrecess, so as to lie across the slot in the bottom of the receiver whenthe arm is to be usedas a single loader,y

its object and functiom being to enable the cartridges to be shoved inthrough the passageway in the top of the receiver in the usual mannerwith single-loading bolt-guns by closing the slot or a portion Aof it,so as to prevent the cartridge from dropping down through the same. Whenthe arm is to be used as a magazine-gun this slide I is shoved or drawnup, as shown in Fig. 5, iu'which case it will leave the slot in thebottom ofthe receiver open, so that the cartridge can be fed up throughsaid opening from the case or boxbelow.

In order to enable the gun to be used as a magazine-arm in cases ofemergency, I' provide a detachable magazine or cartridge-holder, D, ofsuch a shape and size that it can be readily attached to the under sideoi the' gun in front of the trigger-guard,as show/nin Fig. 1, so as todeliver the cartrid ges therefrom through the slot in the .bottom of thereceiver, as represented in Figs. l, 4, and 5.' The intention is to havethese cartridge boxes or holders so lnade that a number of them can belilled with cartridges, whichs'hall bc retained therein, and be carriedby the soldier, and when required he quickly attached to the gun andused one after another.

To this end I` make this box lor detachable magazine D of suchv a widthand thickness as to permit the cartridges to be placed therein sidewise,one upon another, as shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5.

It will be observed that the bo'x is made deeper at its rear than at itsfront end, which is for the purpose of allowing the cartridges to lietherein in an inclined position, and with their dan ges overlapping oneanother, as shown in Fig, l. f

As represented in"Figs.'1, 2,' and 3, the front edge of the box D, atits u-pperedge, is provided with a projection, m, the inside of which isconcave to permit the end of the bullet to engage therein, as shown inFig. 3. At the rear end of the box it is provided at the top withinwardlyincliningfla'nges or shoulders o and fr, as shown in Fig. 2, theshoulders 0, when the cartridge is pressed forward with its front end'inthe cavity m., holding it there, while the dan ges r prevent it'fronibeing pressed upward at its Yrea-r end',"as shown clearly in Fi gs.V 2and 3.Y

By these means it will be seen that vthe box D can be lled withcartridges, which, being pressed upward by the spring J, secured inthe-bottom of each box, as shown, will hold the upper one in theposition shown in Figs. l and 2, thereby preventing them from droi'ipingor being forced outward while thebox is detached or being handled.

When it is desired to have the cartridges pass from the box up into thereceiver,`after the box is attached, it is only necessary to press the'upper one down slightly at the head, so it Will pass back under theshoulders o, which will release its trout end from the cavity m, when itwill at once be elevated by the spring, and Will their occupy theposition shown in Fig. 1, its headlrising sufficiently as it is thusforced upward and a little forward for the front end of the breech-boltC to strike.

it, and thus shove the cartridge forward into .the chamber of the gun.

As th'e first cartridge has its head depressed,v so as to release itspoint from the cavity m, as above described, all the others are at thesame time made to assume the inclined position represented in Fig.- l,so that thereafter each will have its front end thrown out ot' the boxfirst, the head being held down by the shoul ders r untilreleased'therefrom by being pushed forward bythe bolt C, and thus thecartridges can be fed from the-box D into the gun as tast as the boltcan be operated. As soon as one box is exhausted it is detached andreplaced by another,and thus the firing can be ccntinued with greatrapidity.-

Where the gun is made wlth afull stock, asi` is usually the case withboltguns, an opening orslot willof course be made in the stock, as

shown in Fig. l, to permit the box D to be applied so as to presentitscartridges through the slot in the bottom of the receiver. The box maybe held fast by any suitable means; but avery simple plan is to have aspringcatch, E, secured in the stock or receiver, as shown in Figs. 1and 4, so as to engage under a beveled projection, a, on the rear edgeof the box. With this arrangement it is only necessary to shove theboxinto the opening, and itis o at once secured ready for operation. Todetach it, it is only Inecessary to draw back the catch E and pull outthe box.

It will of course be understood that when it is desired to feed thecartridges from the box, the slide I will be drawn up, as showniii-Fig.` 5, and that if desired to have the magazine loaded and readyfor use in an emergency, t

there is applied externally a iat-v spring e,`

which has its upper end formed into two inclined arms, b and r', thelatter projecting over into the box when the Vlatteris detached, and bythus coming over the rear 'endof `the .cartridges bot-h holds it downand at the same time keeps the cartridge from sliding backward fromunder the lip 'n at the front, and thereby serves to hold the cartridgesin the box.

When the box D is shoved into place, as represented in Fig. 4, therearinelined arm,b of the spring strikes against an iuclineor 'a pin,`or any similar object, therebydrawing the spring back, so that its armr wiil no longer interfere with the movement of' the cartridges, itbeing thus shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 6 Ihaveshown still annther modification. In' this case themagazine or cartridgeholder D is made to encircle the gun-stock, in-

stead of being inserted Within an opening therein, and it has its moutharranged to deliver the cartridges into the receiver through the topopening, this' latter being cut a litt-le lower down on the right-handside than usual, as shown, so as to. give room for the -cartridges toenter and for the empty shells to be thrown out, as usual. 4In itsgeneral idea and inode of operation this is the same as the planprelviously described, and it is only described in order that parties'may adopt Whichever plan or modification may be most cor venient inpractice. f

It Will'bevseen by examining Figs. 1 and 3 that the magazine orcartridge-holder has its front and rear ends of unequal lengt-lis, the

rear end, or that at which the heads 'o t' thel cartridges rest,being'the longer -of the two, and that it has one side left open, sothat the cartridges can pass out through said open side into the'properposition to be shoved directly into the chamber of ,the gun, and thatthis form of these cartridge-holders is essential to the proper workingot'A the arm when used as a magazine-gnn.-

It 1s ofcourse understood that the bolt C is to beprovidedwithahook-extractonas shown ato, anda stop, t, vforthe head of theshellto strike against as itis drawn out, so as to throw it sidewise ont ofthe receiver, these, however, being old and well-known devices.

One advantage of thsmanner of applying magazines is that it does notmateriallyilr' crease the weight'of the arm, and, being 1ocatedcentrally, whetherfnll or empty, it does not change the balance of thearm, as magazines do when applied under the barrel or inthe-butt-stoek.- Asits bottom does not project below, the trigger-guardand but slightly below the stock at its front edge, it does notinterfere with the handling of the arm or render it clumsy.

Having thus deseribedmy invention, what I claim is- -1. In combinationwith abolt-gun 'having ail-opening through the bottom of -its shoe orreceiver, a detachable magazine or cartridgeholder, with devicessubstantially such as de- -scribed for securin g the magazine to thegun, the whole being constructed and arranged to operate substantiallyas set forth.

2. -The curved sliding plate I, in combina tion with a receiver hav-ingan opening through its bottom, when arranged to operate substantially'as described.

3. Thejde'tachable magazine D, provided with the ca/vity m andVtheinWardly-projecting shoulders o and r, ort-heir equivalents, :allconstructed and' arranged to operate substantiallyas described.

4. The extractor o, 'provided with thesho'ulder s, in combination withthe bolt C, having a corresponding recess in its lrib, and the spring t,all arranged to operate substantially asdescribed.

5. The tiring-pin P, provide'd with the loose sleeve or collar R, havingthe projection p, in combination lwith 'the tubular breech-bolt C,provided with the slot z, having an offset fer 'the projection p toengage in, 'substantially as shown auddescribed.

6 A detachable magazine or cartridge holder, D, having its front -andrear ends of differing lengths, with one of its sides or edges openfor'the insertion and removal of the cartrdges, and provided With aYspring-follower and cartridge-retaining devices, substantially as andfor the purpose herein set forth.

JAMES LEE.

' Witnesses:

F. C. SHEPARD, P. REMINGTON.

